This weekend marks a turning point in the Washington, DC area. The 45 year old Woodrow Wilson Bridge will be closed to traffic. In its place, the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. We’re not much for originality around here. As is typical with construction projects around here, expect major traffic jams to accompany the shift from old to new.
In a fitting final tribute to one of the most infamous traffic bottlenecks on the East Coast, one last dashboard-pounding jam is likely to occur this weekend at the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge as southbound motorists are shifted onto the new span.
The last driver to cross the decaying 45-year-old structure will probably do so Saturday, at the midpoint of a weekend of backups that will begin at 8 p.m. tomorrow when the inner loop of the Capital Beltway is reduced to a single lane so it can be realigned with the new bridge.
Driving North on the Beltway the past few years, I’ve seen the construction of the new bridge from the beginning. It truly is an engineering marvel and, while its still a drawbridge, at least it looks nicer than the old bridge.
Washington Post transportation writer Steven Ginsburg has two blog posts up about the big day. First, he talks about walking across both the old and the new bridges. Next, he tells us how he’ll be spending his Saturday.
Pictures of what the new bridge will look like when completed below the fold.
